The top of the UFC Lightweight division is a little less crowded after Saturday's UFC Fight Night Mexico City.
Former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos took on #3-ranked 155 pounder Tony Ferguson in the main event of the promotion's return to Mexico City, and didn't disappoint those in attendance. The two battled elevation to put forth a classic effort. The lightweight stars had a back-and-forth affair that went into the fifth round all tied up, with heavy stakes.
Ferguson pushed the pace and opened aggressive in the first two minutes of the round. Ferguson was able to implement his range to take control of the round, and handle the former lightweight king on his way to a 48-47 unanimous decision win.. You can see an excerpt from our live coverage below.
Round Five: The round begins with Ferguson stalking Dos Anjos while throwing strikes, Ferguson tries attacking Dos Anjos with a superman punch. Dos Anjos catches a swinging Ferguson with a counter left hook, Dos Anjos follows that up by landing a kick to the midsection of Ferguson. Dos Anjos pressures an incoming Ferguson by landing a looping left, Ferguson backs Dos Anjos into the fence while landing combinations. Ferguson charges at Dos Anjos as the two have a striking exchange, Ferguson continues chasing Dos Anjos around the cage while landing combinations. Ferguson also starts catching Dos Anjos with some leg kicks, Dos Anjos attempts to land some kicks of his own on Ferguson as the round ends.
Ferguson picked up his ninth straight win, and his twelfth in thirteen UFC fights. Dos Anjos dropped his second in a row.
RDA and Ferguson entered the fight in a unique position. With a Khabib Nurmagomedov loss at UFC 205, the winner of their fight would likely be at the front of the line for a title shot. With a Nurmagomedov win, they'll likely face another opponent. The division's title is on the line at UFC 205 next Saturday as champion Eddie Alvarez defends against Featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
You can see Fightful.com's full coverage of UFC Fight Night Mexico City at this link. We'll have a podcast covering UFC, Bellator, Manny Pacquiao's fight and Kid Kash on Sunday.